From the Black (Free Fleet Book 4)

by Michael Chatfield

  “They're voyager ships,” Min Hae said, his brain still reeling. “The Independents knew that they couldn't defeat the Kalu in their current state, so they made ships to carry themselves to a system where they could build up a military, a force that could take on the Kalu,”

  “Safe all weapons,” Bregend barked to his command staff. “So what are we going to do Min Hae?” Bregend asked, clearly unsure of how to proceed.

  “Well I think we might ask if their council leader would be willing to put some words in for us, so that we might actually have a talk with them. If they still want to leave, they leave. Hopefully they can give us enough information to hurt the hell out of the Kalu. If nothing else it's a win for them. Either we destroy the Kalu and they're safe wherever they go. Or we're destroyed and they can avenge us and they get their council leader back,” Min Hae said.

  “It sounds like you have a plan. I'll follow your lead,” Bregend said. Min Hae nodded his thanks, Bregend had been a commander for multiple fleets even though he was still quite junior. Though the fact that he was willing to follow someone else, instead of trying to forge ahead and prove himself, spoke to how he had matured.

  “Thank you commander, hopefully it will just be a lot of talking,”

  “Ah, then they won't even know what hit them when the commander of the Intelligence department is on the job,” Bregend said, looking darned confident.

  “Thank you Commander,” Min Hae sighed, these commanders seemed way to damned excited for everything.

  Cheerleader was right about the amount of crazy we have running around here!

  “Well if you don't mind I would rather like to keep my identity hidden, if only for appearances,” Min Hae watched as Bregend's eyes said all.

  “Very well, I'll be your mouth piece,” Jackass, I wanted to get to my battle reports, not being some damned emissary! Bregend’s eyes seemed to say. Min Hae felt the corners of his mouth trying to pull into a smile.

  Twenty minutes later, Bregend was broadcasting on all channels to the independent Kalu.

  “My name is commander Bregend of the Free Fleet. I wish to talk to the council of independents. I want to see what we can do about working together to eliminate the true Kalu threat. We also look to return council leader Ashota to your care. Thank you,” Bregend cut the channel, the main screen resolving just to his face.

  “How was that Min Hae?” Bregend asked.

  “I have a feeling that we'll see soon enough,” Min Hae said, looking to Ashota. The Kalu was staring at the screen, obviously thinking.

  ***

  Ashota was, annoyed. He had fully expected to lose his life in trying to get the independents free of the Kalu oversight. While they had been able to do a vast number of things even with the Kalu orbiting their planet. They had been severely limited. They cared for one another in a way that normal Kalu would never understand. Normal Kalu adhered to strict guidelines on what they were allowed to do and what not, traditions governed them.

  Independent's had led to the Kalu getting to the stars, they had led to better weapons. All of their pursuits had been in an attempt to get the majority of the Kalu to realize what was around them. Some had seen the only way for the Kalu to become independents was to conquer all, and at the end of that, then they would have to think, or die out.

  Independents were chaotic, they argued, they had ideas, they acted on impulses not driven by anger, or natural fighting habits. The Independent's thought about more than just themselves. They didn't see females as just creatures to supply more warriors and breeders. Each Kalu had value, it seemed that they placed a lot of value in Ashota. He was flattered as he was pissed. They should have just left, he would see if these Free Fleet creatures had any ability to destroy the Kalu. Now they were putting all of the Independents at risk.

  Ashota had made it clear that Min Hae was coming, it gave him a hostage something that Min Hae knew as soon as the words had come out of Ashota's lips. Min Hae might have been silently cursing him, but he'd agreed, so had Bregend.

  Now Ashota watched as Bregend's shuttle landed at Verslva's airlock.

  Min Hae pushed Ashota aboard. The shuttle released from the ship. Bregend was even bigger in person than over a view screen. He moved in his powered armor as if he was born inside its mass.

  “Good to see you Min Hae,” he said the two of them coming together in a crash of armor and smiles.

  “You too brother,” Min Hae replied, they beamed at one another with the expressions Ashota had shared with Edvasho and his other battle-brothers. These men had gone through battles and war together. They might not be related by blood, but they were every part the brothers. Ashota felt anger and jealousy well inside of him, Edvasho's betrayal while not unforeseen, still hurt.

  Min Hae secured Ashota as he and Bregend grabbed two seats facing one another and strapped in.

  “So whose idea was it to create a council?” Bregend asked, though the man was large, actually bigger than some Avarians, there was no missing the calculating look in his eyes.

  The Free Fleet had shown time and time again that they did not have idiots in their ranks. Bregend had to have done much more than be the strongest man around to get and hold his position.

  “Mine,” Ashota said, not seeing how it could do any harm.

  Bregend nodded to himself as Min Hae watched the exchange.

  “Why did you give Edvasho the plans for the Star-destroyer?” There was a hard edge to Bregend's voice, but he was clearly interested as to Ashota's motivations.

  “I had to, I wanted to see how well it would operate, I however told him to train his people to follow their instincts, this makes the fighters effective when engaging ground forces, but against ships, they present a massive target and are so tight together that explosives act as if they were in atmosphere, throwing swarms into disarray, easy picking for properly trained fighters,” Ashota said.

  “Why did you have to?” Bregend asked again, it was clear that he knew Ashota was not telling the entire story.

  “I didn't think that another Kalu would be as smart as putting agents near me. Orshpa was, he came to me, asking me of my plans on star-destroyers. He obviously saw their abilities as a boon. I said that I was still developing them and would release them to Edvasho.

  He didn't accept my reasoning, but he didn't care, he went to Edvasho asking if he knew, trying to drive us apart. It probably worked to some degree, as did the hundreds of other things that Orshpa, Xentar and other Kalu brought to Edvasho's attention,” Ashota's voice was becoming harder and his thoughts confusing as he stopped, taking a breath and focusing on the original question. “Orshpa used my plans to train his people to be fighters. He used it on the final clans that hadn't come under Edvasho's control. Probably because it made him look more like their leader than Edvasho, something that he is bound to use sooner rather than later. I brought my information to Edvasho and he started building the star-destroyer's giving the control and training to Orshpa as he was already working on them,” Ashota said.

  “So Orshpa trained all of the Star-destroyers?” Bregend asked, his eyes intent.

  “That is correct,” Ashota said.

  Bregend and Min Hae shared a look, yet neither said anything, pulling out their data pads, clearly messaging one another in silence for the rest of the journey.

  “We will be arriving in ten minutes,” One of the pilots said.

  “Thanks Jalo,” Bregend said, standing. Min Hae did the same, they clamped on their helmets and checked one another over. They didn't have weapons, but a Commando in armor was damned effective. Ashota had seen a few times where Syndicate prisoners had attacked their Commando watchers.

  Commandos were highly trained and deadly. A prisoner wouldn't attack a Commando twice.

  The Syndicates that became Commandos were essentially retrained, there was little similar between their Syndicate comrades when they were finally branded Commandos.

  The Free Fleet encouraged people to grow, there was yelling
and swearing, but there was a focus on working with one another, rather than breaking the weakest ones. Commandos weren't the biggest people strapped into powered armor. They were creatures that could think on their feet, and knew their powered armor as a second skin. Ashota hadn't missed how easy Min Hae changed from being in a standard vac-suit to powered armor, Bregend was the same way.

  To survive what the two of them had, they probably felt more comfortable in armor, than in their own skin.

  Ashota remembered his old armor, parts of it were still embedded in his body. He missed the freedom it had given him, the power. Now he lived inside his broken body, with only his mind.

  Unreasonable anger at Min Hae and Bregend rose in his mind. He forced it down, the familiar anger at those that had the gifts he had lost. He needed to focus now, not be too angry to be of any use.

  It wasn't long before his own chair and its vacuum rated covering were fitted.

  The shuttle locked onto one of the Independent's tower ships, its airlock cycling as Min Hae moved Ashota's chair.

  “You should really think about starting a regeneration program, we pulled ours from the Syndicate and the Union, but it means that we can get people as badly hurt as you, back up and running,” Min Hae said, as if he could read Ashota's mind, or to throw him off.

  Ashota didn't say anything, trying to put that comment aside, yet his thoughts of the freedom he had when he had been actually able to control his body ran through his mind.

  Maybe I can convince the Independents to run for it. I'm more use here, plus if they give me a body... His mind trailed off. Either he got a new body, he didn't and still helped end the traditional Kalu, or he died.

  Not such a hard decision when it comes down to it, what do I want more, the chance to get back what I have lost and watch as the Kalu burn, or die knowing that the Free Fleet are going to do everything they can to make sure the bastards burn.

  He wasn't in love with the Free Fleet, nor did he feel a true loyalty to them. Yet if he could use them for his own reasons, he wasn't against the idea, it could be a rather, beneficial, agreement.

  He would need time to think on this, and he wasn't going to let these two know what he was thinking before the meeting.

  The airlock into the Independent's ship cycled. Two armed Kalu warriors waited on either side. These ones had rail cannons on their backs instead of the standard lasers.

  It looks like war-leader Kalvin has been quite active. Ashota thought to himself, casting sideways glances at the Kalu armor, it looked almost identical to normal Kalu armor, yet it had more forward facing armor, the new weapons, and what looked like launchers on the Kalu's backs.

  There was probably more changes underneath but Ashota put that to the back of his mind.

  The Kalu guards dipped their heads even as their rail guns remained trained on Min Hae and Bregend.

  Ashota reciprocated the sign of respect, not going as low, as was due his station.

  “The council will see you,” One of the guards said through their speakers.

  The other indicated for them to move with their weapons.

  They moved through a large hangar, Ashota had to stop himself from pouting as Deltai made her way directly to him, her personal guard's weapons were trained on Min Hae and Bregend as well.

  “Seem to like pointing guns at people,” Bregend said, half annoyed, half bored.

  Ashota spared his armor a sideways glance, even though he couldn't see the man inside the armor, he could tell that despite everything, Bregend was calm, much calmer than Ashota would have been in his position.

  Those kinds of thoughts, and thoughts in general were washed away as Deltai reached his chair. She was one of the most beautiful creature's Ashota had ever seen, though he knew his place. No one was going to mate with a cripple, no matter how far the Kalu Independent's had come, it wasn't far enough.

  While Deltai was beautiful, she was also damned smart being the Kalu independent's planner, she had her hand in every project the Independents were working.

  “What the hell did I tell you about traipsing across space looking for more enemies?” She barked, her eyes fiery.

  Ashota, felt warmth fill him at the pain in her voice.

  “Why, you miss me?” He teased.

  Her eyes thinned and Ashota remembered his vulnerable position, yet he couldn't stop shaking his head in mischief.

  She let out a half snort/sigh.

  “There is no winning with you Ashota,” she said, calming down. “Who are these?” She asked, indicating to Min Hae and Bregend with her nose.

  “This is Commander Bregend of the fleet you see in our system, and sub-leader of Salchar. This one is the commander of the Free Fleet spies and another sub-leader of Salchar,” Ashota used his own nose to indicate to his two hosts.

  “Ma'am,” Bregend said, Min Hae jut simply nodded before taking a knee and fiddling with something on Ashota's chair.

  It came to life, Ashota checked his controls and found that he had full functionality again.

  “Well council leader, the other council members are ready and eager to know what you have learnt in your time away from us,” Ashota held Deltai's eyes for a second, looking away in anger.

  Do not think of things you cannot have. He chastised himself.

  “Very well,” Ashota said, using his chair to navigate to the conference room. He knew the designs of these ships intimately. While they were different in a few ways between ships, there weren't that many changes.

  “Are we ready for link up and acceleration?” Ashota asked absently as they walked.

  “We are, navigation is going to be using route Beta that our scouts plotted,” Deltai said.

  Then there was no time for talking as Ashota entered the conference room, the other council members were all present via vid-screen. Ashota had made it clear that having a clear line of succession, and with those successors being on different ships was key to the Independents moving, even if they lost a number of council leaders.

  Ashota rolled into his location at the head of the table. Bregend and Min Hae were waved into seats by their guard detail. Two guns trained on them at all times.

  “So who is this Free Fleet?” Kalvin asked, not one for small-talk. Neither was Ashota.

  “I will start with my entering what was Union controlled space,”

  ***

  “...That is how I ended up in Min Hae's care and here. I admit that I deceived them in thinking we would band with them. At the time I had no want for us to join our forces with theirs. Now however, I have been swayed. If Min Hae will have me, then I will apply any and all skills I have to helping the Free Fleet in destroying, or at least wounding the Kalu traditionalists,”

  Ashota didn't miss how Min Hae's helmet turned in his direction slightly.

  “I can think of a number of ways we could put your skills to work, though I think that kind of information should remain between us,” Min Hae said.

  “That is not your decision to make,” Deltai said hotly, Ashota could see the pain in his eyes. He knew that they were close friends, he had never pressed for more than that, knowing he was unworthy of her.

  “Being an independent it is completely my choice,” he said, a little heat entering his voice.

  “Of course you don't listen to others and do whatever in the hell you want again,” She barked at him.

  “If you are going to have a quarrel of mates, may you have it when we are not having a meeting?” Kalvin growled. The grizzled Kalu's remaining eye looked to both Deltai and Ashota. Deltai looked away, ashamed. Ashota anger was spiked, Kalvin hadn't meant to remind him of his limitations, but he had anyway.

  “I agree with Ashota however. Myself and any volunteers from the Independent army will join you. There are still a number of our people within the traditionalist's ranks. A number of my people, and myself did not feel it was right to leave them there as we made good on our escape. We will still send the fleet to its designated home, but adults that are
not essential to the setup of the Independent's will be given the choice to remain here and fight if they desire,” Kalvin said, his eye moving to Min Hae and Bregend as he seemed to judge them. Both of the human's seemed to straighten and lean forward at the perceived challenge.

  “If you are right about the Free Fleet then they will be worthy allies,” Kalvin said.

  “I think that it would be best if we discuss a few things privately before we continue on,” A council leader that had been quiet so far said, her eyes boring into Ashota and Kalvin.

  “Very well, guards, please escort Commander's Min Hae and Bregend outside. Please get us some refreshments,” Ashota said, feeling that this would take some time.

  ***

  “Well that was better than I expected,” Bregend said over a private channel to Min Hae.

  “Hopefully we can get a few Independent's to help out. Thankfully our training programs are coming to fruition. We'll have fully manned ships for the first time ever with our next two rounds of trainees graduating this month and next,” Min Hae said.

  “The next group will be another four months, and I have the feeling we're going to need the numbers,” Bregend's voice dull talking about implied casualties. It was a hard reality, but one that a commander had to realize. People were going to die under their command. They could do everything possible and people would still die, this was war and it was far from bloodless.

  Bregend sat back, the two of them sitting in silence as he went over reports.

  Never ending damned paperwork. He said, happy for once to get his mind focused on the mundane paperwork.

  ***

  “The council is ready for you,” One of the guards said, they original ones had been rotated out some time ago, this was the third pair.

  Bregend and Min Hae proceeded into the council chambers.

  “There are volunteers from every sector that wish to ally themselves with the Free Fleet. Many want to be allied with the Free Fleet, while others wish to join the Free Fleet,”

  “How many battle capable ships are you pledging?” Bregend asked.